Open mesh fabric



Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES OPEN DIESH FABRIC Herbert E. White,San Francisco, Calif., assignor to The E. H. Edwards Company, acorporation of California Application February 11, 1938, Serial No.190,068

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to open mesh wire fabrics.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form offabric that has the many advantages of a woven fabric, but theproduction of which does not require a weaving operation. The open meshfabrics that have heretofore been produced are of several types, onebeing built up of a succession of short cross wires laid upon parallellongitudinally extending wires. Another known type of mesh comprisescontinuous wires that are laid in diagonal manner back and forth acrossthe width of the fabric and that form a plurality of superposed andseparate layers of parallel strands. The mesh fabric of the presentapplication is composed of a plurality of layers of strands that are sorelated to each other in the completed fabric as to form in eifect aninterweaving of the wires of the respective layers, resulting in asecurity of assembly of the fabric additional to the means that isemployed to secure together the strands at their crossing points.

Reference is made to United States patents, Numbers 2,140,488 and2,137,257, that respectively disclose apparatus and method for makingthe present fabric. As disclosed in the patents to which reference hasbeen made, the fabric is manufactured by laying successively a pluralityof sets of strands upon a tubular mandrel, the strands being laidspirally, those of each set being parallel, and the spirals in which thesuccessive sets are laid being oppositely disposed so that the strandsof adjacent sets cross each other. The tubular body of crossed strandsis continuously laid upon the mandrel, and at one end the said body iscontinuously stripped from the mandrel in a direction axial thereof andis flattened by bringing together the walls into superposed relation.The strands during this flattening operation are maintained incontinuous condition, and they are held against relative movement. Theresult of flattening the layers of spiral strands, is to convert eachset laid on the mandrel into two layers of strands, the strands of eachlayer extending diagonally from edge to edge and the diagonals of thestrands of one layer being in the direction opposite to that of thediagonals of the strands of the other layer. It will be appreciated thatbecause the successively laid spirals are in opposite directions, thebody after flattening will comprise a plurality of layers of strands,the strands of each layer extending diagonally across the body in thedirection opposite to that in which the strands of the adjacent layersextend. To complete the fabric,

the strands of the different layers are secured together at some or allof their crossing points, as by welding.

The completed fabric is composed of layers of parallel strands, twolayers having been formed from each set of strands that was laid on themandrel, the strands of such two layers extending across the fabric inopposite diagonals, and the strands of the two layers being continuous,and passing from one layer to the other at the edges of the fabric.Inasmuch as more than one set of strands is laid upon the mandrel, thecompleted fabric consists of a multiple of two layers of strands insuperposed relation, and the strands of any layer crossing the strandsof the adjacent layer or layers. The strands are so laid that in thecompleted fabric, the strands of alternate layers lie between thestrands of'the other layers to the strands of which they are parallel.

The method of manufactureabove mentioned produces a novel type of fabricin which certain of the strands, extending diagonally across the fabricin one direction, pass over and under the alternate strands that itcrosses, and that are in other layers of the fabric, and thispeculiarity gives to the fabric the appearance, strength and advantagesof a woven fabric.

The above description has been made to render the following descriptionof the drawings more readily understandable.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of the fabric.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a section of the fabric in process ofmanufacture, just prior to the point at which the two parts of thefabric are brought together into final position.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view upon the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a section of a slightly modified form offabric. 7

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the fabric of Figure 5. I

In describing the fabric as shown in the drawings, numerals have beenapplied to the strands of the respective layers beginning at the outerlayer upon one side and progressing to the outer layer upon the otherside. The fabric consists of two outer layers I and 4 respectively, andtwo inner layers 2 and 3. The strands I are parallel to the strands 3and Cross the strands 2 and 4. The strands I and 4 form the two outerlayers of the fabric, and the strands I and 4 change from one layer tothe other at the edges of the fabric. The strands 2 of the one innerlayer are continuous with the strands 3 of the other inner layer, thestrands changing from one layer to the other at each edge of the fabricand the strands 2 and 3 extending across the fabric in opposite diagonaldirections.

The strands of the two outer layers cross upon the same sides at allcrossing points, that is to say, at each crossing point of the strands Iand 4, the strands 4 are on the same side of the strands l. Similarly,the strands 2 always cross the strands 3 upon the same side. Now strands4 are parallel to strands 2 and they cross the strands 3 upon oppositesides of the said strands 3. Similarly, strands i and 3 are parallel andthey cross the strands 2 upon opposite sides of the strands 2. Thereforeas one of the strands 3 extends across the fabric and crosses strands 2and 4 alternately, it will pass over and under alternate crossing wires.In the same manner, one of the strands 2 extending across the fabric,alternately passes over the strands 3 and under the strands I. Thisalternate passing over and under crossing strands by the strands 2 and 3gives to the fabric an appearance that is characteristic of Woven fabricand gives to it qualities very much superior to those of fabrics thatare made up of strands that are simply crossed.

Referring to Figure 1, and following one of the outer strands I acrossthe fabric, it will be seen that the strand crosses all of theoppositely extending strands 2 and 4 upon one side, and at the edge ofthe fabric it changes to the other outer layer and recrosses the fabricin the opposite diagonal direction as one of the strands 4, crossing allof the strands l and 3 upon the same side. Similarly following one ofthe strands 3 across the fabric, it will be seen that it is parallel tothe strands I, that it crosses the fabric always on the same side of thestrands 2, and always on the side of the strands 4 opposite to the sideupon which it crosses the strands 2. In other words, the strands 3 passbetween the strands 2 and 4, and the strands 2 pass between the strandsl and 3. Because the parallel strands I and 3 alternate, as do theparallel strands 2 and 4, the strands 2 and 3 pass alternately over andunder the strands that they cross as above described.

Because of this alternate over and under crossing of the strands, andthe advantages that it imparts to the fabric, the fabric may aptly betermed semi-woven.

In certain uses of open mesh fabric, it may be desirable to stay thefabric against longitudinal elongation. Figures 5 and 6 disclose afabric so stayed. The stay strands 5 and 6 are located in the fabricbetween the two inner layers composed respectively of the strands 2 and3.

In the manufacture of this type of fabric, the stay strands may be ledinto the fabric during the operation of collapsing the fabric. The staywires may be secured to the other wires of the fabric at their crossingpoints in the same manner as the other crossing wires of the fabric aresecured together.

As indicated in Figure 5, the stay strands may be disposed at anydesired points in the width of the fabric. They may be positioned topass through a line of the crossing points of the diagonal wires, orthey may pass along a line between the crossing points. Obviously thestay strands may be varied as to number and position or combination ofpositions.

The above-described fabric combines the advantages of a woven fabric anda fabric formed from, and consisting of, continuous strands, with theadvantage of being manufacturable by methods other than weaving. The useof a process other than weaving permits the use of relatively heavymetal strands without excessive power consumption and wear due to therapid and repeated bending that weaving involves. The semiwovencharacter of the product gives it strength to resist strains to whichthe fabric may be subjected, and what is more important, holds thefabric together in the event of failure of the welds or other means ofsecuring together the strands at their crossing points. Anotheradvantage of the fabric from a standpoint of manufacturing and strengthof finished product is that in smaller sizes of mesh, say in mesh ofone-half inch, not all of the crossing points need be welded orotherwise secured, it being sufficient if the crossing points betweenthe outer layers i and 4 be secured, and the interweaving of theremainder of the strands will be sufficient to give an entirelysatisfactory product.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation, andmany advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without further description, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape and minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. An open mesh fabric comprising an inner flat fabric of crossedstrands, and an outer fabric that surrounds the inner fabric, the saidouter fabric comprising a plurality of continuous strands that extendcontinuously across the respective outer surfaces of the inner fabricand change from one to the other of said surfaces at the edges of theinner fabric, the strands of the outer fabric lying wholly without thestructure of the inner fabric throughout their extent, and the severalstrands being secured together at points where they cross one another.

2. An open mesh fabric comprising an inner fabric composed of aplurality of strands arranged in flattened spirals, and an outer fabriccomposed of strands arranged in flattened spirals disposed oppositely tothe spirals of the inner fabric and the inner fabric being locatedwithin the flattened spirals of the outer fabric, and the severalstrands being secured together at points at which they cross.

3. An open mesh fabric according to claim 2 and having longitudinallyextending stay strands within the spirals of the inner fabric.

4. An open mesh fabric comprising an inner mesh fabric composed ofcontinuous parallel strands, each strand being disposed in alternateoppositely extending reaches, all of the reaches that extend in onedirection crossing upon the same side of those extending in the otherdirection, and an outer fabric mesh composed of continuous strandsarranged in alternate oppositely disposed diagonal reaches, theoppositely disposed reaches of the said outer fabric extending acrossthe inner fabric on opposite sides thereof and being completely outsideof the inner fabric, and the several strands being secured together atpoints at which they cross.

5. An open mesh fabric according to claim 4, in which the respectivereaches are diagonal and the diagonal reaches of the outer fabric arear- 7. An open mesh fabric according to claim 4, in which longitudinallyextending stay strands are disposed between the respective reaches ofthe strands of the inner fabric, and all of the said stay strands arealways upon the same sides 5 of the respective strands of said innerfabric.

HERBERT E. WHITE.

